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SNS

Empty Portuguese hospital clinic reception with Piso 1 directional signage to Ascensor, Sanitário and Banco de Sangue

Decreto-Lei 115/2026 Tightens the Médico Tarefeiro Outsourcing Regime From 1 July — 60-Km Internato Catchment, Two-Year SNS Re-Entry Block and 48-Hour No-Show Penalty Frame the €250M Spend

Decreto-Lei n.º 115/2026 — published 16 June, in force 1 July — rebuilds the contracting regime for médicos tarefeiros around a 60-km internato catchment, a two-year SNS re-entry block, a 48-hour no-show penalty cut and a 31 December 2026 transitional deadline for live contracts.
The Portugal Brief
Nationwide SNS IT Outage Sends Hospitals and Health Centres Back to Paper Prescriptions — SPMS Blames Morning Power Failure as Pharmacies Lose Access to the Receituário Database and SIM Calls Patient Risk 'Intolerable'

Nationwide SNS IT Outage Sends Hospitals and Health Centres Back to Paper Prescriptions — SPMS Blames Morning Power Failure as Pharmacies Lose Access to the Receituário Database and SIM Calls Patient Risk 'Intolerable'

A national outage of the IT systems that underpin the Serviço Nacional de Saúde (National Health Service, SNS) started shortly before 09:00 on Friday 12 June 2026 and was still degrading hospitals, primary-care centres and pharmacies five hours...
The Portugal Brief
Ministério da Saúde Swaps Out the ULS Santa Maria Primary-Care Clinical Director on Conveniência de Serviço — Rita Molinar Replaces Eunice Carrapiço at the Country's Largest Unidade Local de Saúde With 120,000 Patients Sitting Without a Médico de Família

Ministério da Saúde Swaps Out the ULS Santa Maria Primary-Care Clinical Director on Conveniência de Serviço — Rita Molinar Replaces Eunice Carrapiço at the Country's Largest Unidade Local de Saúde With 120,000 Patients Sitting Without a Médico de Família

Ministério da Saúde dismisses Eunice Carrapiço and appoints Ana Rita Molinar as primary-care clinical director at ULS Santa Maria — the country's largest local health unit, with 120,000 residents without a médico de família. Mechanism: conveniência de serviço; CReSAP cleared the pick.
The Portugal Brief
Ministério da Saúde Signs 10 June Despacho Authorising Hospitals to Pay Tarefeiros (Locum Doctors) Up to 50% Above Career-Staff Hourly Rates — Retroactive to 1 January, 4,600 Hires Carried €250M of 2025 SNS Spend

Ministério da Saúde Signs 10 June Despacho Authorising Hospitals to Pay Tarefeiros (Locum Doctors) Up to 50% Above Career-Staff Hourly Rates — Retroactive to 1 January, 4,600 Hires Carried €250M of 2025 SNS Spend

The Ministério da Saúde (Ministry of Health) signed on Wednesday 10 June a despacho (executive order) authorising the National Health Service's Unidades Locais de Saúde (Local Health Units, ULS) to pay tarefeiros — independent doctors contracted on...
The Portugal Brief
SNS Internamentos Sociais (Social Internments) Cross 3,500 Hospital Beds on the June 9 Tape — APAH Tracks a 25% Jump From March's 2,807 as RNCCI Bottlenecks Push the €350M Annual Cost Past Its Three-Year Average

SNS Internamentos Sociais (Social Internments) Cross 3,500 Hospital Beds on the June 9 Tape — APAH Tracks a 25% Jump From March's 2,807 as RNCCI Bottlenecks Push the €350M Annual Cost Past Its Three-Year Average

SNS data released 9 June puts more than 3,500 patients in Portuguese hospital beds despite clinical discharge — a 25% jump from APAH's 2,807 in March. The €350M cost is the visible price of an RNCCI bottleneck and an informal-care system funding 8,000 of 200,000 caregivers.
The Portugal Brief